Main Street Dollars

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A federal jury in Austin has convicted Bhavesh Kumar Thakkar, 45, an Indian national who was in the United States on a spousal visa, of two counts tied to wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he was directly connected to more than $150 million in proceeds that India-based call-center scammers took from elderly victims…

An American who operated from the Philippines pleaded guilty in a scheme targeting veterans’ and servicemembers’ bank and benefit accounts

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Robert Wayne Boling Jr., a 45-year-old American who ran a fraud operation from the Philippines, pleaded guilty on October 20 to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Federal prosecutors say he used stolen personal data on thousands of servicemembers and veterans to break into their bank accounts and online benefits accounts, and that…

The Justice Department offers rewards starting at $10,000 for health care fraud tips that lead to criminal charges

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The Justice Department will pay people $10,000 to $30,000 for information that leads to criminal charges in health care fraud and related cases, under a program it announced October 20. The Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, known as WHIP, is run by the department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. The department calls it the first whistleblower rewards…

Sextortion victims can get intimate images taken down free within 48 hours under the Take It Down Act, the FTC says, as it sues a paid helpline

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in Consumer Rights

Anyone being blackmailed over intimate images has a free way to get them removed, and the Federal Trade Commission is warning that some paid “helplines” are charging thousands of dollars for help they do not deliver. In a consumer alert on sextortion help, the FTC says online platforms must take down intimate images within 48…

USDA proposes moving every state’s food stamp cards to chip and tap within two years of a final rule, after more than $360 million in stolen benefits was replaced

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The magnetic stripe on the back of a food stamp card is the weak spot USDA wants to replace. On October 21, 2026, the department posted a proposed rule that would require every state to move Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits onto chip-and-tap cards, with a two-year clock that starts when a final rule…

The VA warns veterans that phishing texts, AI deepfake calls and malicious QR codes are being used to steal veterans’ sensitive information

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Veterans are being told to treat unexpected VA texts, phone calls and QR codes with suspicion. In a fraud alert posted September 25, 2026, the Department of Veterans Affairs described phishing texts, AI-generated deepfake phone calls and malicious QR codes as tools used to get at sensitive information. The VA also gave veterans a number…

A credit freeze is free to place or lift at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and while it is on no one can open new credit in that person’s name

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in Consumer Rights

Placing a credit freeze costs nothing, and so does lifting one. The Federal Trade Commission says on its consumer advice page that “there’s no cost to place or lift a credit freeze” at the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. While the freeze is on, nobody can open a new credit account in…

The FTC says it is not contacting anyone about Amazon Prime refunds, which arrive only by check, PayPal or Venmo

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A phone call, text or email from someone claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission about an Amazon Prime refund is almost certainly a scam. The FTC itself says it is not contacting people about refunds in the Amazon matter. The real payments arrive in one of three ways, a mailed check, PayPal or…

Cencora’s breach settlement administrator says it does not contact claimants by text message

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A text message that says it is from the Cencora data-breach settlement is not coming from the people running it. The settlement’s official website states plainly: “The Settlement Administrator does not communicate via text message.” The statement sits on a page updated October 16, just as the long-delayed payments are expected to begin. Timing is…

Social Security replaces a lost or stolen Social Security card for free

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